La Paz Chattanooga adds five new team members
La Paz Chattanooga, the longest-serving non-profit organization working directly with Chattanooga's rapidly-growing Latino population, has added five new team members in an effort to meet heightened service demands.
The new hires will increase capacity to address homeless care, case management, legal access and community engagement, according to a news release from La Paz Chattanooga.
"In the two decades that La Paz has served the Chattanooga community, the Latino population has grown tremendously," said La Paz Chattanooga Executive Director Stacy Johnson in the release. "As this demographic has grown, so has the demand for targeted services, especially among newer immigrants. We've made these hires to meet such needs head-on. Our goal is to identify and address the immediate issues that our clients face while also providing programming that will provide long-term, generational benefits."
Currently, La Paz Chattanooga is staffed by team members with direct ties to seven different countries. As Chattanooga's Latino community has diversified culturally, La Paz has aimed to mirror those emerging nuances. La Paz secured a portion of the funding for these positions from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project, according to the release.
The new hires at La Paz Chattanooga are:
-- Annie Durán Pérez (Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project Case Manager). Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a graduate of University of Tennessee Knoxville with previous work in Latino communities as the After School Coordinator at Centro Hispano de East Tenessee, Pérez will be working under the youth homelessness demonstration project grant as a case manager, providing services from screening and intake to discharge.
-- Jenny Pontarelli (Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project Navigator). Born and raised in Venezuela, Pontarelli is a graduate from Southern Adventist University with a degree in social work. As a youth homelessness navigator, she will conduct navigation services and work with assigned youth and/or youth-headed families to assess their identified needs and provide referrals, education, assistance and advocacy, according to the release.
-- Wendy Reynoso (Associate Case Manager). Reynoso was born in Guatemala and emigrated to Chattanooga as a young child. She has been volunteering with La Paz since high school and served as a Social Impact intern during her time as a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from the Honors College, the release stated.
-- Vanessa Parras (Legal Access Coordinator). Parras comes to La Paz after working with the organization through a partnership with Family and Children's Services based in Nashville where she worked with families to gain access to healthcare via state-funded healthcare programs. Vanessa holds a J.D. from the University of Tennessee, is an alumna of UTC and comes with legal and community experience.
-- Faviana Gaspar (Community Engagement Coordinator). Gaspar holds a bachelor of arts in music from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In her role, she assists with community education programming and conducts outreach and support to community members.
Lastoria named senior vice president for First Horizon Bank in Chattanooga
First Horizon Bank recently named Anthony Lastoria as senior vice president and private client relationship manager, according to a news release.
Contributed Photo by First Horizon Bank/ Anthony LaStoriaLastoria returns to First Horizon after serving as head of retail banking at SimplyBank.
"We're delighted to welcome Anthony back to our First Horizon family," Jay Dale, Chattanooga market president of First Horizon, said in a news release. "His skill sets will be a tremendous asset to his clients, but it's his commitment to customer service that sets a high standard."
CHI Memorial earns Leapfrog Top Hospital Award for 2022
CHI Memorial Hospital has been named a Top General Hospital nationally by The Leapfrog Group, according to a news release.
The Top Hospital designation is bestowed by The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers widely acknowledged as the toughest standard-setters for healthcare safety and quality, the release stated. More than 2,200 hospitals were considered for the Top Hospital award. CHI Memorial is one of 32 general hospitals to receive the distinction.
CHI Memorial Hospitals Chattanooga and Hixson also received an "A" Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for Fall 2022, the only Chattanooga-area hospitals to achieve an "A" grade, according to the release.
To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must rank top among peers on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest standards for quality and patient safety, and achieve top performance in its category.
Text Request recognized as Great Place to Work
Text Request has earned Great Place to Work certification, a prestigious designation based entirely on what current employees say about their working experience, according to a news release.
Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation, the release stated, and every year, more than 10,000 companies from 60 countries apply to be Great Place to Work-Certified.
"We have two-and-a-half times more customers today than we did this time one year ago, and that kind of growth can only happen when you have a team that loves their work and that loves working together," Text Request CEO, Brian Elrod said in a statement. "When we founded this company in 2014, we wanted it to be a place where people enjoyed delivering impactful results. We've been intentional about cultivating that, and I couldn't be more proud of what we're achieving."
This year, 100 percent of employees said it's a great place to work – 43 points higher than the average U.S. company, the release stated.
Text Request also appeared on this year's Inc. 5000 list for the second year in a row, and debuted on Financial Times' "The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies" roster, according to the release.
Schnell joins Jelks Law, PLLC
Sarah Schnell has joined the Chattanooga law firm of Jelks Law, PLLC, according to a news release.
Contributed Photo by Jelks Law, PLLC/ Sarah SchnellSchnell is a 2021 graduate from the University of Memphis and will be focusing on estate planning and probate matters, the release stated.
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— Compiled by Brandi Dixon